Back to results
US 11,498,258 B2Granted
Apparatus and a method for forming pre-shaped insulating sheets
AssigneeATOP S.p.A.
InventorsMassimo Ponzio, Giovanni Manuelli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for forming pre-shaped insulating sheets comprises a first bending station and a second bending station. The first bending station is used for bending a flat sheet of insulating material into a Z-shaped sheet (5). The second bending station is used for bending the Z-shaped sheet into an S-shape. The first and second bending stations comprise pairs of first (13a, 13b) and second bending operators for creating bending movements.
Claims21
An apparatus for forming pre-shaped insulating sheets, the apparatus comprising:
- a first bending station for bending a flat sheet of insulating material into a Z-shaped sheet;
- a second bending station for further bending the Z-shaped sheet into an S-shape;
- wherein the first bending station comprises at least one first holding mechanism for holding the flat sheet, the first holding mechanism comprising:
- a first holding surface for contacting a center section of the flat sheet;
- and
- at least one pair of first bending operators for bending tail end sections of the sheet neighboring the center section, the first bending operators being movable transversely in opposite directions with respect to the first holding surface such that each of the tail end sections of the sheet are bent away from each other around a first predefined bending line and a second predefined bending line, thereby forming the Z-shaped sheet, wherein the first predefined bending line is displaced on a surface of the flat sheet from the second predefined bending line;
- wherein the second bending station comprises at least one second holding mechanism for holding the Z-shaped sheet, the second holding mechanism comprising:
- a second holding surface for contacting a tail section of the Z-shaped sheet;
- and
- at least one pair of second bending operators for bending the tail end sections of the Z-shaped sheet into one of an open S-shape or partially closed S-shape or fully closed S-shape, the second bending operators being at least movable transversely with respect to the second holding surface.
7 more elements
A method for forming pre-shaped insulating sheets:
- providing a cut sheet of flat insulating material in a first bending station;
- in said first bending station, contacting a center section of the flat sheet with a first holding surface of a first holding mechanism, thereby holding the sheet;
- in said first bending station, bending tail end sections of the sheet neighboring the center section by moving first bending operators in opposite directions transversely with respect to the first holding surface such that each of the tail end sections of the sheet are bent away from each other around a first predefined bending line and a second predefined bending line, thereby forming a Z-shaped sheet, wherein the first predefined bending line is displaced on a surface of the flat sheet from the second predefined bending line;
- transferring the Z-shaped sheet into a second bending station;
- in said second bending station, contacting the tail section of the Z-shaped sheet with a second holding surface of a second holding mechanism, thereby holding the Z-shaped sheet;
- and
- in said second bending station, bending the Z-shaped sheet into one of an open S-shape, a partially closed S-shape or a fully closed S-shape by moving bending operators transversely with respect to the second holding surface.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.